Will a tube improve the sound even further?
Jun 3, 2013 at 7:38 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

Blaalad12

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Hey guys, I have ordered a pair of he500s which should be here this friday and i will be pairing with an aune t1 so hopefully it will be a good pairing as id rather not have to purchase a new amp/dac!! 
 
Anyways, I am contemplating investing in a decent tube to replace the stock tube but iam wondering is it worthwhile? Will a new tube improve the sound ?
 
My budget for a new tube is €60 / $80 
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 9:23 PM Post #2 of 14
Orthos are less influenced by their amps than dynamics, so going overboard with tube gear will quickly lead to the law of diminishing returns.
 
If your amp allows direct rolling of 6DJ8 tubes, get yourself a nice N.O.S. Sylvania 6DJ8.  These, in my opinion, are among the best sounding of the less than $100 6DJ8 club.  You'll get an upgrade over the stock tube without breaking the bank, and breaking the bank makes little sense with tube gear driving orthos.
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 9:38 PM Post #5 of 14
You know that the amp on the Aune T1 is solid state right? You refer to the amp so iam not sure if you were under the impression the tube would influence the amp, it's the dac that uses the tube
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 9:42 PM Post #6 of 14
In either application, the tube is used for voltage gain and will have a slight impact on the sound.
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 9:46 PM Post #8 of 14
Quote:
Orthos are less influenced by their amps than dynamics, so going overboard with tube gear will quickly lead to the law of diminishing returns.
 
If your amp allows direct rolling of 6DJ8 tubes, get yourself a nice N.O.S. Sylvania 6DJ8.  These, in my opinion, are among the best sounding of the less than $100 6DJ8 club.  You'll get an upgrade over the stock tube without breaking the bank, and breaking the bank makes little sense with tube gear driving orthos.

 
What makes you say that orthos are less affected by amps? There are so many amp posts in the HE-6 and LCD threads.
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 9:54 PM Post #9 of 14
Output power does have an effect, but the overall voicing of the amps has less effect.  So, if you take the same amp, but roll tubes, the orthos are less effected by the voicing of the tubes.  But, if you take one amp that feeds 6 watts into 32 ohms and compare it to one that feeds 500 mW into 32 ohms, the power difference will be heard.  However, if you have two different amps both feeding the same watts into the same resistance, the differences in voicing will not be as apparent when driving orthos as they are driving dynamics.
 
 
Quote:
 
What makes you say that orthos are less affected by amps? There are so many amp posts in the HE-6 and LCD threads.

 
Jun 3, 2013 at 10:10 PM Post #10 of 14
Quote:
Output power does have an effect, but the overall voicing of the amps has less effect.  So, if you take the same amp, but roll tubes, the orthos are less effected by the voicing of the tubes.  But, if you take one amp that feeds 6 watts into 32 ohms and compare it to one that feeds 500 mW into 32 ohms, the power difference will be heard.  However, if you have two different amps both feeding the same watts into the same resistance, the differences in voicing will not be as apparent when driving orthos as they are driving dynamics.
 
 

 
Most of HE-6 owners will disagree with you including myself. I have 3 all tube speaker amps, two 50wpc and one 10wpc, they sound different on my HE-6. I also have a 30wpc T-amp DTA-100, solid state, it also sounds different. I also have a MOSFET 2.5wpc at 50 ohms, it also sounds different on my HE-6.
 
Jun 3, 2013 at 10:16 PM Post #11 of 14
I didn't say "no difference" when compared to dynamics.  I said "less difference."  The fact that orthos have very flat impedance and dynamics don't explain why, on paper, that dynamics are more sensitive to amp voicing than orthos.
 
But, we all hear things differently and paper measurements are paper measurements.
 
Jun 4, 2013 at 7:17 AM Post #14 of 14
If you can find it for under $20, then jump on it.  It normally runs for $40-50.  That's the beauty of this tube--it's dirt cheap and sounds glorious.
 
http://tubedepot.com/nos-6dj8-jan.html
 
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Can you provide me with a link to where i can buy the tube you mentioned by the way? Everything i find is under 20 dollars

 

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